Following a strong junior season as the Big 10's second leading scorer at 18.5 ppg, Penn State's Talor Battle put his name in to make himself eligible for 2010 NBA Draft. After testing the waters and garnering little interest from NBA teams, Battle ultimately decided to return to Penn State for his senior season, where he'll look to help the Nittany Lions improve from a dismal 3-15 record in the Big Ten in 2009-2010, and also give himself one last chance to showcase his game for NBA scouts.

Battle played over 37 minutes per game last season, and the Nittany Lions relied heavily on his abilities on the offensive end. His biggest strength is clearly his shooting ability, which he utilizes to open up the rest of his game. Playing the point guard position with a scorer's mentality, Battle is able to create opportunities off the dribble for himself and others, as defenders are forced to honor the deep range and quick release on his jump shot. He is effective shooting off the catch and either direction off the dribble, and he's learned how to find ways to create space to get his shot off, despite his lack of height and the fact that he is the primary focus of opposing team's defense at Penn State. This would likely be much more difficult for him at the NBA level though, against taller, longer, more athletic defenders.

As we've mentioned before, Battle isn't a prototypical pass-first point guard, but he does display the ability and willingness to distribute the ball to the open man. And although he tends to force some turnovers when he gets into the lane on dribble penetration, he excels at finding his teammates on drive-and-kick situations, and he generally displays good decision making skills, as evidenced by a solid 1.79 to 1 assist to turnover ratio.

From a physical standpoint, Battle lacks the attributes that scouts like to see from an NBA point guard prospect. Standing at 5'11 with a decent frame, he doesn't possess the elite speed or explosiveness of most players his size that have been able to succeed at the NBA level. While he does display a fairly quick first step, which enables him to get into the lane off the dribble, his lack of size and great elevation often leads to poor decisions in traffic. He does display craftiness and sense of how to draw contract when attacking the basket, but he must learn to operate more efficiently in the lane.

Battle's lack of physical tools limits his effectiveness on the defensive end as well. His average lateral quickness often leads to getting beat by his man off the dribble, and his lack of size and length would surely be a bigger issue in the NBA, trying to contest shots and defend dribble penetration.

When evaluating Battle's prospects of playing in the NBA after this season, he is most likely a long-shot, due to the disadvantages he would face from a physical and athletic standpoint in the NBA at the point guard position. His top notch shooting ability and solid feel for the game should no doubt earn him some looks though, and at least give him the opportunity to make a nice living playing basketball overseas.

One of the more improved players in the country last year, Talor Battle capped off his impressive sophomore season by leading the Nittany Lions to an NIT Tournament Championship. This season, Battle will look to improve on his NBA draft prospects, and might start to generate some buzz if he can make similar strides with his game this season as he did last season.

While he isn't quite your prototypical pass-first point guard, Battle does a solid job distributing the ball, rarely over-dribbling, and finding a variety of ways to get it to his teammates. Many of his assists come off simply finding open shooters on the perimeter through good ball movement, but he also is good with drive-and-kicks, recognizing when defenses send early help on his drives and quickly dishing it back out to the perimeter. He doesn't create as many shots for his teammates once he gets in the lane, however, usually opting for his own shot and not showing the same vision and decision-making as he has in space.

On the pick-and-roll, Battle makes good reads and is patient in letting plays develop, but he struggles at times when teams trap him hard, as his size doesn't always allow him to see over or pass out of them. His passing is generally good out of pick-and-rolls, but he doesn't always do a good job creating scoring opportunities for himself, struggling to consistently hit pull-up jumpers coming off the screens.

As a shooter, Battle has great natural ability, showing NBA range and being able to hit a lot of tough shots, including a few game-winners and overtime-forcing shots last season, but he shows problems with his consistency, which is why his shooting percentages aren't that good. In terms of mechanics, Battle has a high and quick release and a very good base when he's spotting up in space, but things tend to break down when he's on the move and/or contested, leading to some bad misses and him not shooting up to his potential. Squaring his upper body to the basket, keeping his legs underneath him, staying on balance, and not letting his arm drift to the right are all things he could work on that would lead to him becoming a more consistent and efficient shooter.

In terms of attacking the basket, despite being undersized without much vertical explosiveness, Battle does a pretty good job finishing, due primarily to his creativity in the lane and his impressive array of floaters. He does struggle when the lane gets crowded, however, not having the size or separation to get off good shots when multiple defenders are contesting him.

With good but not great quickness for his size, Battle does a pretty good job getting past his man in isolation, making good use of changes of speed and direction along with a solid repertoire of advanced moves. He goes left just as frequently as he goes right, though he's much stronger to the right, showing a more aggressive and surer dribble. Again, though, Battle does a much better job in space than crowds, not having the elite athleticism to split double teams and weave through defenses with the ball.

Defensively, Battle shows a pretty good effort level, not letting up on his man and doing his best to contest shots, but his lateral quickness isn't great and his reflexes leave a bit to be desired, leading to him being beat a good amount on the perimeter. His lack of size and strength don't help things either, and it will only become more of a glaring issue at the next level, so Battle certainly has some work to do in this area.

Looking to the next level, Battle is at a disadvantage due to his height, and his lack of strength and elite athletic abilities don't help matters either. In addition, while he does have a well-rounded game and has shown nice signs of improvement in college, he doesn't have one outstanding ability that allows him to stand out, though his shooting could become that with more work. Becoming more consistent with his outside shot and working on his strength and explosiveness should both be priorities for Battle, but he'd likely need to make significant strides with his game to make a compelling argument for entering the draft this season.

Last season, Penn State went 15-16. This year, despite playing an admittedly favorable schedule, they are sitting on a 16-5 record, tied for fourth in the Big 10 conference standings. There are many reasons as to why the Nittany Lions are having a much better season, but the most significant is the development and improvement of point guard Talor Battle. He has improved in almost every statistical category and has transformed himself into the floor leader Penn State has desperately needed for the past couple seasons. Though his potential at the next level is somewhat limited, Battle should continue to develop into one of the nation’s top collegiate point guards in the coming years.

One impediment that stands in the way of Battle’s NBA future is his size. Standing 5’11, with a slight 160-pound frame, Battle is a solid three to four inches below the NBA’s prototypical height for a point guard. Similarly, he lacks a tremendous wingspan and elite athleticism to make up for his lack of height. While he boasts good quickness and solid leaping ability, Battle should work on adding strength to his frame and maximizing his athletic potential.

Offensively, Battle’s most effective weapon is his perimeter jump-shot. Sporting a smooth shooting motion alongside excellent mechanics and a lightening quick release, he hits 41.2% of his 3-pointers, good for 14th amongst point guard prospects in our database. He has shown the ability to get his shot off in a variety of situations against many types of defenders, from a standstill and off of the dribble.

Battle is also an effective slasher, using his quick first step to get around his man and to the basket. The problem here, however, is that he is not a great finisher around the rim. While this is likely due to his subpar physical profile, the fact that he shoots a meager 46.7% on shots from inside of the arc is certainly cause for concern in terms of gauging his potential at the next level.

As a point guard, however, Battle shows a lot of promise, and has made great strides from his freshman to his sophomore year. While he still has room to grow and is more of a scoring point guard presently, he has shown far better poise this season, talking to his teammates and demanding the ball in the clutch. He has become very proficient on the drive and dish, using the threat of his slashing ability to draw defenders into the lane and open up his teammates around the perimeter.

An area in which he needs to improve, however, is his awareness, as sometimes he is forced into bad shots or turnovers because the shot clock is running down or he does not know where he is on the court. Improving his handle, particularly learning how to drive left (he goes almost strictly right), would certainly help him here. His awareness as a point guard should improve as he continues to play the position and, if this year is any indication, Battle will only get better.

Defensively, however, Battle has his work cut out for him in terms of his NBA potential. His lack of size and strength certainly hurt him, but so too does his lack of elite athleticism, particularly his average lateral quickness. Opposing point guards at the collegiate level are able to beat him off of the dribble with ease, and the competition only gets harder in the NBA. One area that he must improve on, however, is his awareness. He often finds himself out of position and late arriving to mark his man on the perimeter. He has quick hands, which helps him excel at picking slashers’ pockets, but he needs to work on moving his feet instead of reaching and committing fouls.

Players like Battle are difficult to project at the next level. His size and athleticism are certainly against him, but his point guard ability and sweet shooting stroke will surely win him fans should he improve throughout his collegiate career. Measuring out at a legitimate 5’11 is certainly necessary, but showing scouts that he possesses good defensive fundamentals certainly would not hurt either. Penn State is in the midst of one of their best seasons in years and they are no longer a surprise to the elite Big Ten teams. It is up to Battle to continue to elevate his level of play and to show that he is capable of taking this team to the next level, as nothing proves a point guard’s mettle more than actually winning games.